The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1887-08-06


Something ne'er 20 be forgot,
Der the largest, greenest mound
This inscription, "Cbildren ~ WHAT"
"Mother's come"
And asked myself with tears.
Had they slept this little throng
All the lonely, silent years
Had the children waited longs
Babes. were you afraid or colds
Did the years seem long or not
TIL the birds and flowers told
OF her comingi "Chiidreni" "Whatp
Mothers comel'
Mus L. M RAfNE.
REMEMBRANCE.
do remind me how. when, ~ bier.
looked my last on an unanswering face
Serenely waiting for the graves embrace.
One who would fam have comforted said I;
Dear,
This Is the worst. Life's bitterest drop is
here.
Impartial fate hos done you this one grace,
That till you go to your appointed place,
Or soois or late, there's no more 20 fear"
IL was not true my soul IL was not true I
Thou art not lost while remember thee,
What u the years, slow creeping like the
Rssistlsss tide, should blot that face from
Not TO remember would be worse than
death.
JULIA y. Dohlks IN ocflDnef.
RETURNING STRAW TO THE LAND.
There are various opinions among
farmers as 10 the value OF straw when
returned 10 the land as an aid to the
production of future crops. We have
never held the opinion that straw poss-
csses any intrinsic properties its own
as manure, or to justify the cxpendi-
ture Of any great amount of time or
labor upon it looking to that end with
out its being first either passed through
our domestic animals. and thus mixed
with their other and richer food, or else
used In our barnyards and stables as an
absorbent to suck up aud hold the liquid
portions Of the manure and thus insure
their better distribution upon the land.
The plan Of burning the straw after
spreading it upon the land is notattend-
ed with any good results except that It
insures destruction of weed seeds-the
value of the ashes left by It's incinera-
ton being very insignificant ut best.
The question not frequently comes up
between the owners aud renters of land
as TO the removal of the straw from the
premises-some of the former being
very persistent in their objections there
TO. III ii is 10 be made use Of as above
intimated. then we should say by all
means il should be retained upon the
land. But IL IL is TO be merely spread
npon the land without being passed
through the animals or used rs absorb
ent, then we can see no injury done TO
future crops by its removal
That celebrated agriculturst and ex-
perimenter. j. Ii. Lawes, of England,
made the following experiment some
years ago. with the view of testing the
intrinsic value of straw as a manure:
After having raised wheat on the same
land for twcnty-four years in success
the straw as well as
grain therefrom-he tried the expert
ment Of returning 10 portion of the
land the straw made thereon the pre-
vious year. Accordingly be chose ten
plots Of land of equal size. all of which
had received the same manuring year
after year for the twenty-four years
To five Of these plots he returned the
straw annually after 1t had been re-
moved, while TO the other five plots
the straw was not returned. To the first
five plots the straw. as returned, was
merely run througha cutting box.
spread evenly upon the land, plowed
under and sowed in wheat; the other
Ave plots, as said before having no
straw returned to them. The results
showed but trihe difference in the
yield, If anything, it being in favor of
the plots TO which no straw had been
returned. The experiment was contin-
ued for several years, with no precepti-
BILE difference in the yield, the plots all
being MANFRED as near as possible
alike.
HOW MEN DRINK FARMS.
The Plowman, in characteristic
way. tells how men .'drink farms"
My homeless friend with the chroma-
tic nose, while you are stirring up the
sugar in that ten-cent glass of gin. let
mo give you fact to wash il down
with. You say you have for years
longcd for the free independent life Of
n farmer. but have never been able to
get money together 10 buy farm.
But that Is just where you are mistaken.
For several years you have been drink
ing good improved farm at the rate
of one hundred square feet gulp. II
you doubt this statement figure 1t out
for yourself An acre OF land contains
forty-three thousand five hundred and
sixty square feet. Estimating, for
convenience sake, the lands at 1896 |
per acre, you will see that brings the